The World of If
by Akino Ame
Summary: Another Rider down. Shinji must battle Asakura. Yui must escape the Alternatives. Ren must save Eri. And Kanzaki must win. How everything changes in a world of terrible possibilities.
1. Ryuga

The World of If  
><span>Henshin 1: RyukiRyuga

It was possibly the quietest it had ever been inside Atori. Shinji didn't speak as Ren and Yui looked at his phone, reading the _ORE__ Journal_ article:

_Attorney Kitaoka Syuichi (30) was found dead in his home today. Though he has made many enemies, including serial killer Asakura Takeshi, who is still on the loose, police suspect no foul play. Sources indicate that he has been suffering from a progressive disease, though his personal assistant has neither confirmed nor denied this._

Reiko's article was short, due to lack of available information, but it gave everything that they needed to know. Ren looked up from the phone and said, "So it's true."

Shinji nodded. "Reiko-san wants to interview Goro-san later, but I told her I'd check first. Since he and Kitaoka-san were close."

"I don't know why you're getting so involved," Ren started, and Yui immediately glared at him.

"Ren!"

"You know what it means," he reminded them. "Another Rider down, another one less that we have to fight. It's just Ouja and Tiger now."

Yui looked away, but Shinji burned. Ren never failed to get to him with his attitude about the Rider War. Damn his personal strife—Shinji was done with it, and he went straight up to Ren and grabbed him by the shirt. "Maybe you can think that way, but I sure can't! A human being just died right now, and all you can think about is the battle? It doesn't matter if he was a Rider or not—you should care because he was still human!"

"Shinji-kun!" Yui cried, pushing her way between them before it came to blows. Ignoring Ren for the moment, she put her hands on Shinji's shoulders and tried to calm him down. "Please. It's not going to solve anything if you start fighting now."

"In case you forgot the article, Kitaoka was sick anyway," Ren said. "Whether he was a Rider or not doesn't matter—he didn't have much time left, and he knew it. If you think stopping the fighting would have prevented it…"

He didn't finish, leaving it for Shinji. But Shinji stared back at him, still too angry to give in. Instead, he backed away and said, "I'm going over now. If anyone's looking for me…"

"We'll let them know," Yui promised.

Shinji nodded before giving one last glare to Ren and walking out.

* * *

><p>The ride to Kitaoka's house wasn't long, but even if it had been all the way to the southernmost point of the country, it wouldn't have been long enough to improve Shinji's mood. No one managed to aggravate him quite like Ren did; though Shinji liked to think they were friends, it made it all the more infuriating when Ren was being stubborn about fighting the other Riders. He could understand why Ren felt like he had to, but it never ceased to anger him when Ren casually brushed off serious issues like killing other human beings. And he said that Shinji was the simple one!<p>

Shinji brought his moped to a stop and took off his helmet, trying to calm down a bit. It wouldn't do either of them any good if he tried to talk to Goro while angry. He was trying to be there for him as a friend—or at least friendly acquaintance or whatever kind of respectful relationship they had.

As he made the slow march up the stairs, he noticed that the door was ajar—in fact, it looked like it had been kicked open. Concerned, Shinji quickly and silently made his way up and peered through the door. Inside, the house was trashed—there were books and artwork strewn all over the place and broken glass on the floor. For a moment, he considered calling out to Goro, but he decided against it quickly. It was possible that Goro might be in danger, and any sound could get him killed. So he cautiously made his way inside, taking note of the upturned furniture and smashed glass. And halfway hidden by Kitaoka's desk was an unconscious Goro.

Choking back the instinctive shout of concern, Shinji ran over to the other man. There were marks around his neck as if someone had tried to strangle him and a bruised and bleeding gash on his head from a bad blow, and Shinji quickly checked his pulse, breathing a sigh of relief when he felt it strong.

"Goro-san," he whispered, and the slight sound caused Goro to stir. "What happened? Who did this to you?"

But before Goro could wake, Shinji heard the sound of shattering glass coming from further in the house. The attacker was still there, and he wasn't done yet.

Taking his helmet as a makeshift weapon, Shinji crept toward the sounds of destruction. He couldn't see the vandal, but he knew he was dangerous—the injury to Goro proved that much. It was imperative that Shinji be absolutely silent as he snuck up on the intruder.

So, naturally, that was when his cell phone rang.

Shinji let out a small cry of panic as he put the call directly to voice mail, but it was too late. The attacker came at him, and it was only his improved reflexes from being fighting as a Rider that let him bring up his helmet in time to block a blow from one of Kitaoka's curios. But in that moment, Shinji managed to see the face of Goro's attacker, and he would wonder later why he had been so surprised.

"Asakura?"

The serial killer swung the small statuette again, this time hitting Shinji's upper arm and pushing him into the doorframe. Once again, Shinji raised his helmet to block against any more blows, but Asakura kneed him in the stomach, forcing him to double over and hold his helmet over his head. This brought his phone into Asakura's line of sight, and perhaps fearing that Shinji had answered and anyone on the other end could call the police, he fled.

Breathing heavily in relief, Shinji took just a moment to rest against the wall before he remembered that Goro was still injured. He ran over and started shaking him, crying, "Hey! Hey, wake up!"

Goro moaned in pain and opened his eyes, but it took a little time before he could focus on Shinji's face. His words were a little slurred as he tried to ask, "What are you…"

"Do you remember what happened?" Shinji asked.

With Shinji's help, Goro managed to sit up, but Shinji was hesitant to let go of him out of fear he might fall back to the floor. "Asakura broke in. He demanded to know where Sensei was. He didn't believe me when I said he was…"

There was a horrible feeling in Shinji's stomach, like he'd swallowed a stone. It was the same feeling he'd had when he learned of the news from Reiko, and he realized that Asakura must have felt the same shock and disbelief. He'd dedicated so much of his battle trying to defeat the lawyer that it must have hit him hard. Asakura was _grieving_, and for the first time, Shinji truly pitied him.

"Did he…" It was hard to ask the question, but he knew Asakura's pattern. He'd already added Tezuka's and Shibaura's Contract Monsters to his collection after killing them; would he have done the same with Kitaoka's? After swallowing, he asked, "Did he take anything? Kitaoka-san's deck?"

"No," Goro answered, moving slightly so he could take the deck out from underneath him. "I thought I could use it to fight him, but it only enraged Asakura more."

"Makes sense," Shinji muttered. It supported his theory: Asakura wanted to fight Kitaoka, not Zolda. "I'm going to call the hospital. Will you be okay until the ambulance gets here?"

"Yeah," Goro replied. "Please. Stop Asakura."

Shinji nodded solemnly, then raced out the door.

* * *

><p>Under normal circumstances, Shinji would have just transformed and entered the Mirror World from right where he'd been. But there would be paramedics and police there when he returned, and on top of all of that, he had to be sure that Asakura had gone to the Mirror World instead of rampaging in the real world.<p>

He had one thing in his favor, though. With his moped, he was able to catch up to Asakura quickly, who was still running. When Asakura saw him, he came to a stop by a nearby car and held out his deck.

"Henshin!"

Shinji didn't waste a second once he saw Ouja enter the Mirror World. He got off his bike and held out his own deck to one of the side mirrors. It would have been smarter to call Ren for backup, but he was afraid that any time he waited would be a chance for Asakura to cause more harm. So he crossed his arm in front of him and slid his deck into place on the V-Buckle.

"Henshin!"

Ouja turned as Ryuki emerged from right behind him. For a moment, both Riders were silent. Then, hoping his theory meant there was some chance of reasoning with Ouja, Ryuki said, "I understand what you're feeling right now, about Kitaoka-san. But there's a chance we can stop—"

Ouja cut him off with a slash from his sword. Ryuki was too surprised to avoid the attack, and the force made him turn. But he saw the next attack coming and ducked out of the way, scanning one of his cards.

[Sword Vent]

Ouja was coming at him with an overhead swing, but Dragreder arrived in time to deliver the sword, and Ryuki was able to block the attack and throw it off.

"Asakura, you don't have a reason to fight anymore!" he shouted. "End this!"

"I was vexed learning that Kitaoka died on his own, and I didn't get the chance to kill him," Ouja admitted, stretching his neck muscles. Ryuki couldn't believe the understatement; he called ransacking a house and attacking both him and Goro a matter of being vexed? "But I think you're more vexing than that right now."

Ouja rushed Ryuki again, but he'd expected the attack this time and summoned his shield guards. The sword bounced off of them, giving Ryuki the chance to counterattack with his own sword. But for all he tried, he couldn't get an effective enough attack against Ouja. The other Rider was crazed with bloodlust and kept pushing Ryuki farther and farther down the highway, into narrow streets where he was at a disadvantage.

The battle edged closer and closer to another fight, and Ryuki looked over in surprise when he heard Ren's voice. Knight was fighting desperately against Alternative, and Ryuki immediately knew that something had happened to Yui. Breaking away from his fight with Ouja, he rushed over to help Knight, delivering a slash that threw Alternative into a nearby building.

"Ren, where's Yui-chan?" Ryuki asked in fear.

"Alternative grabbed her," Knight explained. "I told her to run."

That sense of dread only got worse. "So she's still here in the Mirror World?"

"It was the only thing I could do!" Knight argued. "You didn't answer your phone!"

"Wait, you're the one who called?" Ryuki asked. It was unlike Ren to call for help, especially when he and Shinji had just had a fight. "Why?"

Knight was holding himself tensely, and Ryuki knew it was more than just Yui he was worried about. On a hunch, Ryuki asked, "Is it Eri-san?"

"Look out!" Knight shouted suddenly, shoving Ryuki out of the way.

He hit the ground harder than he would have liked, but he hadn't been given much in the way of warning. Complaining and rubbing his head, Ryuki looked over to see Ren doubled over on Ouja's blade—_Ren_, not Knight.

Ren slid off the blade and fell to the ground, and Ouja raised his sword. Without realizing it, Ryuki scanned his contract card, and Dragreder flew in, blasting Ouja with fire. With Dragreder providing cover, Ryuki ran over to Ren. His shirt was torn from the blade, revealing a cut from the blade—miraculously not deep, and only the result of sliding off the sword. But his deck was in pieces on the ground, having taken the full force of the attack. It had saved his life, but for how long?

"Ren, can you get up?" Ryuki asked, but he put Ren's arm around his neck as support anyway, trying not to wince at Ren's pained almost-cries. He hated hurting him, but they had to hurry. It wouldn't be long before Ren started to disintegrate. "Where'd you come in from?" Could he even get Ren back the way he'd come without a deck? Then again, he didn't need to, not if a Monster emerged into the real world. "Never mind. Dragreder!"

The dragon roared and flew through the nearest window. Supporting Ren the way, Ryuki followed it through to the real world. Once they'd made it through, Ryuki set Ren on the ground and knelt next to him, remaining wary of Dragreder's presence in the human world.

"Are you okay?" he asked, giving a cautious look to the cut across Ren's waist. "You should probably go to the hospital…"

Struggling to stand, Ren insisted, "I'll take care of it after…" and then trailed off, his expression distant.

Hesitantly, Ryuki asked again, "Is it Eri-san?" When Ren didn't answer, he said, "Okay. You head to the hospital to check on Eri-san. I'll save Yui-chan."

"You won't stand a chance," Ren protested, shaking his head. "There's more of them this time."

More Alternatives? They had a hard enough time with the two and Tiger. Still, refusing to let his fear show, Ryuki confidently insisted, "I'll think of something. Now, go!" With a look toward Dragreder, who made its way back to the Mirror World, Ryuki charged through behind.

* * *

><p>Shinji always had felt a bit of a pre-battle rush after transforming: thrill and anticipation, but never nervousness. But now, the thrill was eclipsed by anxiety. Ren was safe <em>for<em>_ now_, but there was nothing to keep Darkwing from eating him now that his deck was destroyed. Yui was still in danger, with an unknown number of new enemies after her. Asakura was still on the loose and out of control. And that didn't even count Kanzaki and his machinations!

Ren was right; he _did _take too much on his shoulders. The only way Ryuki would be able to get through this was one step at a time, handling the imminent crises before worrying about the rest. Right now, that was Ouja, who was engaged in battle with Tiger.

Ouja swung wildly with his sword, striking Tiger over and over without giving a chance for him to counterattack. The claws over his hands were acting as shields, keeping him from taking a deadly hit, though it was clear that he was tiring.

It was probably a mistake; Tiger was definitely an enemy and he wanted to kill Yui, but Ryuki couldn't bear to let another Rider die. He ran in and grabbed Ouja around the middle, wrestling with him to try to stop his attacks.

"Run!" he ordered. "Hurry!"

Tiger didn't hesitate to escape. Ryuki knew he'd have to stop him too to prevent him from attacking Yui, but at least then, he'd be able to do it non-lethally. This way was wrong.

Ouja hit Ryuki's back with the hilt of his sword, forcing him to let go. A swift kick under Ryuki's chin sent him flat on his back, where he just rolled in time to avoid the sword coming at him.

"You've been a lot of fun," Ouja remarked, laughing. "But I think I know how to make this even better."

The wind picked up as he displayed a card—Ren's Survive card, Ryuki recognized much to his horror. Slowly getting to his feet, he realized that Ren must have been preparing to scan it when he took the blow meant for him.

This wouldn't have happened if Shinji had been paying attention in battle. If he'd answered his phone when Ren had called for help. If he hadn't gotten mad at him and stormed off before Yui was taken.

Ouja's Visor became a wrist-mounted shield and sword, much like it had with Knight Survive, only the shield was cobra-themed and the sword looked much like Ouja's normal sword. Wicked-looking blades jutted out from the armor on his shoulders, and armor extended down from his helmet to better protect his neck. It was, by far, the most frightening thing Ryuki had ever seen.

Ouja Survive cracked his neck before charging at Ryuki, who had no choice but to scan his own Survive card. A fire burned around him, trying to keep Ouja at bay. The Drag Visor disappeared from his arm in a swirl of flames, forming the Zwei version in his hand. He placed the card in the Drag Visor Zwei, and his Survive armor formed over him in a burst of fire. A blade then extended from the Visor, and he charged at Ouja Survive.

Their swords clashed with a tremendous amount of force that made Ryuki's arm ache. Belatedly, he remembered how Asakura had hit his arm earlier in the house, and he knew he was going to have a hard fight of it. He'd been able to forget about it in the heat of battle before, but now he couldn't focus on the fight. Too many things were worrying him, and it made it hard to forget that he'd been hurt. Ouja's sword struck him wherever his armor was lightest—his arms, his middle, his legs. Ryuki struck back as fiercely as he could, but his arm was too sore to hit him hard enough to really be effective.

Another blow to his face sent Ryuki reeling, making it impossible for him to counter Ouja's next strike to his arm. It took all of his strength not to drop his Visor, and he quickly scanned his next card.

[Advent]

Dragreder roared as it flew into battle, its form shattering and evolving into Dragranzer. A storm of fireballs rained down on Ouja, forcing him back as he reached for a card.

[Final Vent]

Venosnaker arrived and evolved into its Survive form, Venoviper. Spitting venom, it transformed into a motorcycle, and Ouja leapt onto it. Ryuki hurriedly scanned his own Final Vent card, but Dragranzer barely had time to complete the transformation before they were hit.

Dragranzer exploded violently, but Ryuki had been hit by the venom and the shockwave. He landed several feet away, his Blank Form shattering as the acidic venom ate away his deck. The explosion had been enough to knock him out, and the Mirror World would finish the rest.

"Feh," Ouja commented, bored. "How vexing; you died so easily."

Ouja walked away, ready to face his next opponent, as Shinji's body began to disintegrate. But though he was unconscious, he could hear a dragon roaring above him, and he could see someone walking toward him.

The figure was dressed all in black, and Shinji suddenly realized he was looking at his own reflection. Above him was a black dragon, identical to Dragreder aside from the color, who flew down and circled him.

"I can give you power," Shinji's doppelganger promised. "Power enough to save Yui and Ren."

How? Shinji wanted to ask. Tell me.

Though Shinji couldn't form the words, his twin understood and replied, "First, there's something you need to give me."

Shinji hesitated, unsure if he could trust this shadow. But the dark reflection insisted, "There's not much time. Otherwise, you'll never save them."

That was all Shinji needed, and he forced out the word:

"Okay."

The shadow smirked, but before Shinji could realize he'd made a huge mistake, the black dragon flew into his body, and the shadow disappeared. Only one Kido Shinji remained, alive and strong, standing from where he'd fallen. A black deck was in his hands as his belt formed around him.

"Henshin."

The passionless call summoned dark images of the Ryuki armor, converging on his body. The armor had turned completely black, save for the glowing red eyes of his mask.

And Kamen Rider Ryuga stalked off to find Yui.

* * *

><p>"The Alternatives have her," Kanzaki had said. Ryuga could hear the man's voice in his mind. "Room 401."<p>

And he hardly needed the instructions. It only made sense. The same lab where Kanzaki had held his experiments, the same lab where Kagawa and his followers hoped to end the Rider War. Where else would they go?

Dragblacker roared as Ryuga silently ordered it to blast a dark fireball at the lab's wall. There was hardly a need for cards between them; they had been created to be perfectly synched—dark, perfect counterparts to the bright red thorn in Kanzaki's side.

A crowd of twelve Alternatives was within the lab, circling Yui and staring at Ryuga and Dragblacker in shock.

"Shinji-kun!" Yui cried.

He leapt across the gulf between buildings and into the lab, hardly glancing her way. Shinji would have checked on her immediately, would have done everything in his power to be sure she was safe and reassured. But he was no longer Shinji, and so he corrected, "I'm Ryuga now."

Some of the Alternatives seemed to remember what that they had to fight him, and they drew their swords. Easily dodging, Ryuga scanned a card into his visor, prompting the deep voice to intone, [Sword Vent]

Quickly, fiercely, he struck back at the three Alternatives, cutting deep. Swords clattered to the floor as their owners cried in pain then were effortlessly thrown down. More joined the battle, though Kagawa and Nakamura pulled Yui aside, intending to complete their mission. Refusing to waste more time on this battle, he cut his way past the other Alternatives, finally discarding his sword in favor of another weapon.

[Strike Vent]

Dragblacker passed along its own variant of the Drag Claw, and Ryuga immediately rushed toward Alternative and Alternative Zero. Zero held Yui by the wrist to keep her from running off as Alternative came at her with a sword. Without hesitation, Ryuga fired, point-blank into Alternative's back. He fell forward, his sword clattering to the ground as his transformation shattered. Yui stared in horror as Nakamura's body dissolved into particles of energy, but Ryuga's attention and sword was on Alternative Zero.

"So, Kanzaki has recruited even you to stop me," the scientist noticed.

"No, that's not Shinji-kun," Yui denied. "Something's wrong with him—he's not himself!"

Ryuga pulled his fist back to blast with the black Drag Claw again, but to his surprise, Yui dove, pushing Zero to the ground with her. The dark flames went over their heads, destroying mirrors against the wall.

"You saved me," Zero said in surprise, staring at her.

Ryuga hesitated only briefly, bewildered as to why Yui would have tried to save the man who was trying to kill her. But he had no time to stop. The eleven surviving Alternatives had recovered and were now on the attack, swarming him. By the time he had the chance to look to Yui and Zero again, they'd run.

He blocked oncoming attacks with the Drag Claw, allowing one Alternative to apply enough force to bring his arm down, giving him perfect aim at another attacker. The black flames shot off, hitting the rushing Alternative in the chest and causing him to hit the ground, disintegrating. Ryuga's unwitting helper gasped in shock, and Ryuga took the opportunity to wrench his sword away, blasting him in the stomach. The Alternative screamed before dying—a voice like a teenage boy, which stirred something within Ryuga.

No. No, this was wrong. Somehow.

He hesitated again, almost wavering. But his hesitation allowed a sword to strike him, and he threw aside his humanity once more. He blasted back, more violently this time, causing an explosion to rock the building. The Alternatives stopped their attacks in desperation to keep their footing, and Ryuga scanned another card.

[Advent]

Roaring, Dragblacker blasted fire inside as Ryuga deftly leapt out of the way, allowing all of his opponents to be consumed by the dark flames. He landed outside the building, where Yui and Zero stood not far away, and he slowly and deliberately walked toward them.

Fearfully, Yui turned to Zero and pleaded, "Tell me! How can I stop my brother? How can I prevent this from happening?"

The professor sounded regretful as he said, "There's nothing you can do other than die."

And that was absolutely what could not be allowed to happen. Ryuga approached, preparing his attack…

And Kamen Rider Tiger was charging at Yui.

It happened in an instant. Ryuga had no way to register what had happened or why. One moment, he had been watching Tiger ready his attack, and the next, he leapt in front of Yui, taking a set of claws in his chest. He grabbed onto Tiger's arm, but he didn't try to remove the claws from his body. Doing so would only put Yui in more danger, and….

Yui!

Awakening from the darkness in his mind, Shinji asked, "Yui-chan, are you okay?"

Choking back a sob of relief, she nodded.

"Good," he answered. The claws were embedded deep in his chest, and they hurt like nothing else. It was a miracle he was still alive, but then, it was his shadow that had died. Ryuga had healed his body and taken his mind. Now, Shinji was taking it back, no matter how broken it was.

And how he knew he would die.

"Just let me finish…" he begged softly.

He pushed Tiger back, managing to get the claws out of him. The pain was excruciating, but for Yui's sake, he refused to let her see. Just managing to keep himself standing, he took a card from his deck and scanned it.

[Final Vent]

His body didn't have the strength left anymore, but he forced himself to leap into the air, with Dragblacker circling him. He couldn't flip in the air the way he normally could, so he simply extended his leg as Dragblacker breathed out dark fire, engulfing him as he kicked. Tiger staggered backwards and collapsed, reaching toward Alternative Zero as flecks of energy aggressively came off of his body.

"I'm sorry, Professor. I couldn't become a hero…" he apologized weakly as he disintegrated.

It was over. Yui was safe. Ryuga was gone. And Shinji had killed, and it weighed heavily on his damaged heart.

He dropped to his knees, the transformation breaking. Yui caught him just before he could collapse, crying out his name.

"Yui-chan, I'm sorry," he whispered. "I shouldn't have killed him…"

Yui shook her head. "You were trying to stop him. You were trying to protect me."

She didn't understand. It was more than that—it was the one thing he refused to do, no matter what. "But I killed all those people. The Alternatives."

Tears were running down Yui's cheeks as she insisted, "That wasn't you. Ryuga did that. You're free now."

He had to smile, even though she was crying. Maybe there was a shadow over him, but at least he could die free, with his friends alive. "At least I managed that. I saved you. And Ren."

He had to struggle to keep his eyes open, and Yui begged, "Please, Shinji-kun. Don't die."

"Sorry I made you cry," he apologized. He didn't want her to be sad. He didn't want anybody to be suffering—not her, not Ren, not Kitaoka or Asakura or even Kanzaki. Ren always said it was his greatest weakness, caring too much, but now he knew better. He couldn't be emotionless like Ryuga, a force of destruction that took out everything in his path. It hadn't saved anyone. The only way he could save his friends was through his true strength.

"Tell Ren…" he started, trying to put this sentiment into words, but he had no strength left in him, and so he shook his head. Somehow, he had the feeling Ren would understand anyway. Closing his eyes, he let himself fade into the ever-consuming darkness.

**_Kamen __Rider __Ryuki_ is the property of Ishimori Productions and Toei. This story is based off of the sidestory "World of If" from the S.I.C. Hero Saga stories published in _Monthly__ Hobby__ Japan_, summaries of which I found once on /m/. This fic differs a bit from the original story (for one, omitting Ryuga Survive) and is written nonlinearly—it follows the characters' storylines throughout and often reinterprets scenes. At the end of the story, a linear version will be posted for comparison on my Livejournal.**


	2. Alternative

Henshin 2: Yui/Alternative

Yui watched Shinji take off, her heart aching for him. He had few reasons to like Kitaoka, especially given how the lawyer had once tried to entrap him, but he cared because they were fellow Riders. He hated the idea of the Rider War and wanted to try to save everyone he could. It was only natural that he'd take this hard.

Which brought her to another problem…

"Ren," she growled, turning an angry glare on him. She'd spared him the lecture before, if only because Shinji was still there, but now she had to speak her mind. "There was no reason for you to tell Shinji-kun that! Just because he wants to try to stop the fighting…"

"If he can't face reality, he never should have become a Rider," Ren insisted. "He's too soft for this anyway. It'll just kill him in the end."

"Ren!" she shouted again, but it was obvious he wasn't listening. She had no choice but to put up with it. Her aunt was out and expected them to get the shop open on schedule, so she worked alongside Ren in angry silence.

She was about to switch the sign around to read "open" when Ren's phone rang. Immediately, she froze before carefully turning around. There were only two other people who would call him: Shinji or the doctor.

"Hello?" Ren asked, and Yui already knew it had to be the hospital. He would have said something sarcastic if it were Shinji. There was a long tenseness and few words before Ren answered, "I understand. I'll be there soon," and hung up.

"Is it Eri-san?" she asked carefully.

"I have to go," he said in lieu of answering.

Nodding, Yui started to open the door for him, but an arm reached through the window and wrapped around her. She screamed and tried to fight her way free, but the Monster was too strong. She only had the chance to hear Ren shout her name as she was pulled into the Mirror World.

* * *

><p>It was a Psycorogue—one of the Alternatives' Monsters, not a wild one. Knowing the danger she was in, Yui fought as hard as she could to break free, but her attempts were in vain. To her horror, Alternative leapt down from a nearby roof and started to rush at her, his sword drawn.<p>

"Nakamura-san," she gasped. "Please, stop!"

Her pleas were even less helpful than her struggles to get free. Alternative continued to charge, but then a familiar shout sounded, and a Kamen Rider leapt over the Monster.

"Ren!" Yui cried.

Alternative raised his sword to block, but Knight had taken him by surprise. His Dark Visor struck harder than Alternative was prepared for, forcing him to the ground. He then spun toward the Psycorogue, striking it hard enough that Yui could escape.

"Run!" he shouted.

Yui knew better than to argue with Ren at a time like this. Trusting in him to stop Nakamura, she ran as far from the battle as she could. She couldn't afford to worry about him or about how she'd get back home; she had to stay alive.

A menacing growl brought her to a sudden stop, and she looked around in terror for the next attack. She didn't have long to wait; Destwilder came barreling through from a sidestreet, and she dove to avoid its claws. It was a very narrow escape, and she got a cut on her shoulder for her trouble.

"Kanzaki Yui," said a voice from behind Destwilder. The Monster held still as Tiger walked up to it. His whole demeanor was calm despite him carrying his ax-like Visor, and Yui could imagine that he had his usual reserved expression on his face. "I'm not sorry I have to do this. You have to be sacrificed in order for me to be a hero."

[Strike Vent]

With the simple scan of a card, Tiger traded out his Visor for his even more deadly claws.

"No," Yui pleaded. "Please!"

Getting into an attack stance, Tiger insisted, "But if you're courageous about this, maybe you can be a hero too."

With no other choice, Yui took off running once more, but Tiger was harder to lose than Alternative. She couldn't outrun him, not with the boost the Rider powers gave to his stamina, and she had to duck out of the way of his claws every time he tried to corner her. Worse, Destwilder wouldn't give up the chase either, and he tore through buildings to cut off her escape route.

Backing away from Destwilder, Yui found herself against a wall with no way out. To one side was the Monster and to the other was the Rider. Desperately trying to buy herself more time, she asked, "Why are you doing this?"

"Killing you will stop Kanzaki Shiro," Tiger answered simply. "It will close the Mirror World and end the Rider War and all the attacks in the real world. We'll be heroes."

Yui's head was reeling from the information. That was impossible. How could her dying mean all that? Was this why her brother had wanted her to keep out of everything? Was this why Shinji and Ren were always so tight-lipped about their encounters with the Alternatives and Tiger?

"No," she denied. It couldn't be true. Just what was her brother trying to do?

Tiger lowered his claws, preparing to attack. Terrified, Yui closed her eyes, just waiting for the end. But a dragon's roar sounded clear through the air, and she opened her eyes in hope.

"Shinji-kun?" she asked.

Dark fire rained down between her and her attackers, forcing them to back away. At once, Yui knew she was mistaken; Dragreder's fire wasn't this strange color. She glanced up to see a black dragon just like it circling around above her, clearly trying to protect her.

"Did Brother send you?" she murmured.

Another blast of fire came down, once again keeping Tiger and Destwilder from approaching her. Trusting in the black dragon, Yui began running. More flames came, creating a wall of dark fire that protected her from attack as she made her way through. She finally managed to make her way to a park, safe, and she breathed heavily in relief.

"I made it," she breathed. Looking up at the dragon, she said, "Thank you for protecting me."

The dragon roared and flew off, as if realizing it was no longer needed, and Yui once again wondered if it had been sent by her brother. Most Monsters would attack humans rather than protect them. Even with a contract, it wasn't a guarantee the Monsters wouldn't go rogue or at least challenge it every once in a while; she knew that Shinji and Ren sometimes had a hard time keeping Dragreder and Darkwing under control. The only person who seemed to know how to control the Monsters completely was her brother.

"Please, Brother, tell me," she begged. "What's going on? What are you doing, and why do you need the Rider War?"

She waited, hoping Kanzaki would appear and answer her questions. But he didn't; she was left alone in the silence. Sighing, she was about to sit down to wait for Ren to find her when another Alternative dropped down from a tree.

"Got you!" he declared.

* * *

><p>The new Alternative held Yui fast as he dragged her along to Seimeiin University. The moment she saw the campus, she knew where they were headed: room 401, her brother's former lab and now Kagawa's base of operations.<p>

Kagawa was there now, in the form of Alternative Zero, waiting among a ring of other Alternatives. Their suits were mostly identical in imposing, unreflecting black, but the closer Yui looked, the more she saw differences in the accents: bronze on her captor, dark green on another, bright blue, yellow, light purple, dark red, white, grey, orange, pale gold, and even pink. Eleven Alternatives in addition to Kagawa and Nakamura, who arrived soon after Yui. Thirteen Alternatives to counter the thirteen Riders.

"Why did you bring her here?" Alternative demanded. "You should have killed her immediately!"

Yui's captor hesitated and in an unsure, youthful voice, admitted, "I thought this would be right, that everyone should have the chance…"

"That's enough," Alternative Zero insisted, putting a calming hand on Alternative's shoulder. "Very good work, Two. It was thoughtful of you to consider that."

"Thank you, Professor!" the aforementioned Two said.

Though fearful, Yui looked around at her executioners-to-be. Alternative Two sounded like he was younger than she was—definitely not the kind of person she expected to get caught up in all of this. "What is this?"

"You don't need to be asking questions!" Alternative shouted, ready to lunge. But Zero's hand remained firm and prevented attack.

"No need to rush things," he insisted softly, taming Alternative's rage once more. "We can be courteous enough to answer her question. She should know just what her existence has wrought."

In the midst of fear and confusion, a slight thrill of anticipation went through Yui. It was ironic—the only ones who would tell her everything she wanted to know were the people who wanted to kill her, not the ones who had tried to protect her.

"What's going on?" she asked. "Nobody will tell me anything—not my friends, not my brother. Who are these people and what do you want?"

Moving easily away from Alternative, Zero stepped forward. He might have been giving a lecture in class as he casually said, "Nearly thirteen years ago, a tragic accident struck your family and changed your life forever, am I correct?"

"Y-yes," Yui admitted. "That was when my parents died. My brother and I were split up afterward—I've barely seen him since, and I had no idea what—"

"That day, something terrible happened," Zero interrupted, ignoring her pleas. "But it was more than just to your parents—it happened to _you_. Tell me, how long have you been in the Mirror World since the Psycorogue pulled you in?"

The question hit Yui with the force of a stone falling into a pool—her knowledge of everything was shaken, with more questions spreading from the heart of it like ripples. She had no idea how long it had been, but it had certainly been long enough for her to have begun to disintegrate. Only the Riders' and Alternatives' armor could allow them to survive this long in the Mirror World, and even then, there was a limit. Yui looked at her hands in morbid fascination, wondering why she seemed as stable as she'd be in the real world.

"How…" she started.

"You died thirteen years ago," Zero answered simply, and for all it horrified her, it seemed to explain everything. "Somehow, you received enough life force from a Mirror World version of you to survive until now."

It was terrible, but there were still many more questions she had to ask, for all she feared and hated the truth. The lies and secrets had been crueler. "Then the prize of the Rider War…"

"The power to grant one wish," Zero stated. "In your case, a new life. Kanzaki's plan all along was to claim it for himself, using Kamen Rider Odin as his proxy."

"No," Yui denied. She wasn't sure what was worse—the truth about herself or the truth about her brother, the fact that he was tricking Ren and all the others…

"Every single one of these Alternatives lost someone because of Kanzaki's plan," Zero explained. "These men and women have lost parents, children, siblings, lovers, or friends to the Monsters. All of this is because of you."

"Brother, how could you?" Yui whispered.

"The only way to make things right," Zero insisted, "is to end the Rider War. Kill you, and Kanzaki has no reason to continue."

For a moment, Yui was too horrified to react. Everything he'd just said sounded _right_. Any one of those Alternatives could have been one of her friends, with the pain they'd gone through. One was even a _kid_. Her brother had allowed the people they loved to be killed, and all in her name.

She didn't move as the Alternatives came forward, each of them bearing a sword. She knew she should have—should have tried to fight, should have tried to run, should have tried to do _something_—but they all seemed to have the right to do this. Just like Ren and the others seemed to have the right to fight. And if it could stop her brother and maybe even stop everyone's suffering…

The roar of a dragon broke through the silence, and a blast of fire destroyed one of the walls of the lab, giving everyone a view of the outside, to the roof of the nearest building. The black dragon that had defended Yui before was back, flying in a circle around its Kamen Rider, who looked on them with apparent disinterest. To Yui's horror, she could see that the Rider's armor was a pitch black version of Ryuki's.

"Shinji-kun!" she cried. She didn't know how or why, but she knew that this sinister new Ryuki had to be her friend.

With a flying leap, he crossed the distance between the buildings, entering the lab. With barely a glance toward Yui, he confirmed in a much darker tone than Shinji had ever seemed capable of, "I'm Ryuga now."

Some of the Alternatives recovered more quickly than the others. The ones in gold, pink, and grey charged with their swords, and Ryuga ducked away, sliding a card into his Visor.

[Sword Vent] it read in a deeper voice than any of the other Riders' Visors, and Yui felt a chill run down her spine.

It came as no surprise that the sword was a black replica of Ryuki's red sword, but it hurt to see that Ryuga's technique was exactly the same as Ryuki's too, but more vicious in scope. Shinji's passionate attacks became ruthless strikes. The three Alternatives that had attacked first were quickly defeated, unable to stand up to Ryuga's experience and raw power.

The other new Alternatives joined the battle, but the original two refused to be distracted from their mission. Zero grabbed Yui by the wrist to keep her from running off as Alternative came at her with a sword. Her heart raced as he raised his sword, ready to end everything…

And then a black blast of fire caught Alternative in the back, forcing him out of his transformation.

He fell forward, his sword clattering to the ground. Not far behind him was Ryuga, who had hit him point-blank with a Strike Vent. Yui didn't know if Nakamura was dead already or not as his body disintegrated, but she was horrified as it was. She looked at Ryuga in disbelief as he held his weapon toward Alternative Zero.

"So, Kanzaki has recruited even you to stop me," he noticed.

"No, that's not Shinji-kun," Yui denied. "Something's wrong with him—he's not himself!"

Ryuga pulled his fist back to blast with the black Drag Claw again, and Yui knew she only had one option. She dove, pushing Zero to the ground with her. The dark flames went over their heads, destroying mirrors against the wall.

"You saved me," Zero said in surprise, staring at her.

Yui didn't have a chance to respond. Absolute chaos had broken out. The attack had given the other Alternatives the chance to recover, and they charged Ryuga en masse. As he began fending off all eleven at once, Yui took Zero by the wrist.

"We need to get out of here," she warned.

He didn't fight her as she led him out of the lab and the building itself. She knew that at any time, he could attack her from behind, but she was beyond fearing for herself now. They had to get away from Ryuga—that much was clear.

"Why did you save me?" Zero asked once they'd gotten outside. "It would have been better for you to let me die while Ryuga saved you."

Yui shook her head. "I don't know what happened to Shinji-kun. It's like he's possessed. I don't know what Brother did to him."

"That still doesn't answer why you helped me escape," he pointed out.

"You're the only one who will tell me what's going on," she insisted. "Please. Why did my brother set up the Rider War? Why can't he just claim the prize without it?"

An explosion rocked the building, and they both looked up to it—Yui in fright and Zero in determination. Finally, he said, "From what I read in his notes, the power cannot exist on its own. There is a price that must be paid first, in order to grant one new life."

There was no fear this time inside Yui, only dread as she asked, "What kind of price?"

"The defeated Riders," he replied. "Their life force creates the power. Twelve lives for one."

The dragon roared once more, and Ryuga leapt down from the destroyed lab. As he approached them, Yui turned back to Alternative Zero and cried, "Tell me! How can I stop my brother? How can I prevent this from happening?"

For the first time, the professor seemed regretful as he said, "There's nothing you can do other than die."

That couldn't be the case. Yui had to believe there was some other way. But as she was about to try to reason with him once more, she caught a glimpse of a white figure out of the corner of her eye. She turned quickly to see Kamen Rider Tiger charging at her once more.

And then in an instant, Ryuga was standing in front of her, holding onto Tiger's arm as tightly as possible. He turned his head toward her and asked, "Yui-chan, are you okay?"

She couldn't help a sob of relief as she nodded. It was Shinji. He was back to normal.

"Good," he answered, pushing Tiger backwards. "Just let me finish…"

He didn't seem to be talking to her, and there was something strange in the way he was holding himself. He seemed oddly shaky as he took out a card and slipped it into the Visor. The distorted voice called out, [Final Vent] and he leapt into the air, but it still didn't seem right. Whenever she saw him fight as Ryuki, Shinji had always jumped higher and flipped in the air as Dragreder spiraled around him. His lower jump and general lack of movement didn't seem to be this new dragon's doing.

But his kick hit Tiger with the same amount of force, aided by a dark fireball. Tiger staggered backwards and collapsed, reaching toward Alternative Zero as flecks of energy aggressively came off of his body.

"I'm sorry, Professor," he apologized weakly. "I couldn't become a hero…"

He disintegrated completely, and Yui cast a wary glance toward Ryuga, worrying about Shinji's steadfast refusal to kill. But he dropped to his knees, his transformation shattering into darkness, and she knew there was a lot more wrong than she'd believed.

"Shinji-kun!" she shouted, running over to him. She made it just in time to keep him from falling; he couldn't even manage to lift his head. There was a large bloodstain on the front of his shirt—Tiger had managed to stab him with his claws.

"Yui-chan, I'm sorry," he said, his voice whisper-soft. "I shouldn't have killed him…"

Yui shook her head. "You were trying to stop him. You were trying to protect me."

"But I killed all those people," he protested. "The Alternatives."

Tears were running down Yui's cheeks as she insisted, "That wasn't you. Ryuga did that. You're free now."

Shinji managed to smile, and Yui choked back another sob. "At least I managed that. I saved you. And Ren."

Ren was still alive. It should have brought hope, but Yui knew it wouldn't mean anything if it couldn't be all three of them.

"Please, Shinji-kun," she begged. "Don't die."

"Sorry I made you cry," he apologized. "Tell Ren..."

Shinji was trying to finish his sentence, and Yui waited for him to give her his message. But finally, he shook his head, as if to say, "Never mind." His eyes closed, and his body disintegrated.

It was more terrible than she had expected. One moment, she was holding him in her arms, and the next, there was nothing—nothing to suggest that Kido Shinji had ever existed.

She stood up, trembling in grief and conviction. Turning toward Alternative Zero, she said, "I have a favor to ask you. I want to stop my brother. I _have_ to, after all he's done."

"You know the only way…" he reminded her, but she shook her head.

"The only way is to stop him in person," she argued. "To defeat Odin before he can claim the power."

He shook his head. "It's impossible."

"Professor, please," she begged. "I need you to trust me."


	3. Survive

Henshin 3: Ouja/Survive

This had to be some kind of trick, a trap to lure him out into the open so the cops could get him. And if Kitaoka was going to play that way, Asakura was going to make sure the game was fun.

There were no police around Kitaoka's home, the way he'd expected. Even that butler wasn't lurking around. Everyone was probably inside, ready to ambush him. That worked just fine for him—everyone crowded in one small area, easy to kill all at once.

Not even bothering with stealth, he kicked in the door, satisfied to hear the wood splinter. The lawyer wasn't anywhere in sight, but the butler got up from the couch in shock.

"Hey," Asakura drawled with a smirk. "Where's your boss?"

"He's…" Goro hesitated, looking away.

"Wrong answer," Asakura said, walking closer. The inside of the house was just as empty as the grounds, but he refused to believe that was all. Looking around, he called out, "Kitaoka! Where are you hiding? Come out!"

"He's dead!" Goro argued. Asakura turned on him as he said, his voice wavering, "It happened this morning. He was ill, and…"

Asakura grabbed him by the neck to shut him up. It wouldn't be the same as killing the lawyer, but at least he wouldn't have to hear him anymore. But Goro had something in his hand—the Zolda deck.

No. Zolda was Kitaoka and _only _Kitaoka. There was no way Asakura was going to let some upstart butler take that. Enraged, he grabbed the nearest object—a small statue of some kind—and struck Goro across the forehead. He fell to the floor, unconscious and with his head bleeding, half-hidden by the desk.

"You're not supposed to die peacefully," Asakura growled, throwing everything from the desk onto the floor. "I'm supposed to be the one to kill you!"

He tore through the house, turning over furniture, destroying artwork and books, and smashing mirrors. For all he rampaged, nobody came to stop him—no cops, no lawyer. It was as if everything the butler said was true.

He smashed a pane of glass in Kitaoka's bedroom and started to destroy the curios on his shelves when he heard a phone ring. Someone else was here. He moved over to the intruder and swung the statuette. A helmet blocked the blow just in time, and the two had the chance to see one another.

It was that stupidly optimistic Rider, Shinji, who looked at him in shock and asked, "Asakura?"

Asakura swung the statue again, this time hitting Shinji's upper arm and pushing him into the doorframe. Once again, Shinji raised his helmet to block against any more blows, but Asakura wasn't about to stop venting his rage. He kneed him in the stomach, forcing him to double over and hold his helmet over his head.

But with Shinji holding up his helmet, Asakura was able to see that he still had his phone in hand. If there was anyone who would call the cops rather than just fight him to the death right now, it was this Rider. Dropping his weapon, he fled the house.

It didn't take long for Shinji to catch up to him on his bike, however, and Asakura stopped when he saw him. If nothing else, he could at least have a fight. Killing somebody might make this day a little better. Holding out his deck to a nearby car window, he summoned his V-Buckle.

"Henshin!"

He didn't bother waiting up before entering the Mirror World. Idiot or not, Shinji knew better than to walk away. He took the time to summon his sword before Ryuki arrived, pleading, "I understand what you're feeling right now, about Kitaoka-san. But there's a chance we can stop—"

Ouja cut him off with a slash from his sword. Ryuki was too surprised to avoid the attack, and the force made him turn. But he saw the next attack coming and ducked out of the way, scanning his own Sword Vent card. His pet dragon arrived just in time to deliver his sword as Ouja attacked again, giving him the chance to block.

"Asakura, you don't have a reason to fight anymore!" Ryuki shouted. "End this!"

"I was vexed learning that Kitaoka died on his own, and I didn't get the chance to kill him," Ouja admitted, stretching his neck muscles. "But I think you're more vexing than that right now."

Ouja rushed Ryuki again, but he'd expected the attack this time and summoned his shield guards. The sword bounced off of them, giving Ryuki the chance to counterattack with his own sword. But for all he tried, he couldn't get an effective enough attack against Ouja. It was just the fight Ouja needed—adrenaline was pumping through him, and his mind was clear. He attacked forcefully, pushing Ryuki farther and farther down the highway, into narrow streets where he was at a disadvantage.

And it sounded like they weren't the only ones with this idea. Ryuki's ally, Knight, was fighting one of those Alternatives nearby. Just when he thought about bringing the two battles together, fighting off three opponents at once, Ryuki abandoned their fight to help Knight.

No, he wasn't going to be denied the chance to kill someone else. Not again. While Ryuki and Knight were distracted from talking, he charged.

"Look out!" Knight shouted as he shoved Ryuki out of the way. But it cost him any time to react. The sword struck his belt with enough force that he doubled over onto the blade, the deck in his belt crumbling and his transformation shattering. Ouja had the satisfaction of seeing the horror on Ren's face become numb shock as he slid off the blade, leaving a wonderful line of blood behind. He would die a lot easier than Ouja had expected, but it was enough to quench his thirst for murder. He raised his blade against his shocked, unmoving prey.

Before he could strike the final blow, however, a blast of dragon fire hit him, forcing him to back up. Ryuki was running to his friend's rescue, helping him escape while Dragreder provided cover fire. He was about to scream in rage when the three of them disappeared into the real world, but then he noticed a card abandoned on the ground. He felt a gust of wind blow by as he picked it up, taking note of the wing and the word: Survive.

He couldn't help but laugh. That fool had dropped it during Ouja's attack.

"Looks like I win after all," he noticed.

"Asakura Takeshi," stated a calm voice.

Ouja knew that voice, heard it in his nightmares. He turned, and sure enough, Tiger was approaching him.

"You again," he said.

"That Survive card could give you the power to be a hero, but you only want it for blood," Tiger pointed out.

"And what do you care?" Ouja challenged.

"The professor says we shouldn't sacrifice too many people, and you'll do just that," Tiger replied. "I think I should take it instead."

Ouja struck him viciously with his sword. "Just try."

Tiger swung his axe-shaped Visor at Ouja, but he easily blocked it with his sword, kicking Tiger in the middle to force him back. He followed it up with a fierce strike to Tiger's shoulder, forcing him to step back and scan his Strike Vent card, summoning his claws. He was able to block the next attack and tried to swipe at Ouja, but Ouja dodged and struck even harder. Soon, Tiger could only hold up his claws as barely effective shields against Ouja's continued onslaught. Another Rider would die, and Ouja still hadn't played his best card.

Suddenly, someone grabbed him around the waist and began wrestling with him. He managed to look down to see Ryuki, who shouted to Tiger, "Run! Hurry!"

Tiger escaped, but Ouja hit Ryuki's back with the hilt of his sword, forcing him to let go. A swift kick under Ryuki's chin sent him flat on his back, where he just rolled in time to avoid the sword coming at him.

"You've been a lot of fun," Ouja remarked, laughing. "But I think I know how to make this even better."

Now was as good a time as any to pull out the Survive card, and a cold, ominous wind blew harshly as he scanned it. Ouja's Visor became a wrist-mounted shield and sword, much like it had with Knight Survive, only the shield was cobra-themed and the sword looked much like Ouja's normal sword. Wicked-looking blades jutted out from the armor on his shoulders, and armor extended down from his helmet to better protect his neck. It was, by far, the most frightening thing Ryuki had ever seen.

Ouja Survive cracked his neck before charging at Ryuki, who had no choice but to scan his own Survive card. Though the flames raged around him as he changed forms and charged at Ouja with the sword, Ryuki was no match for him. Their swords clashed with a tremendous amount of force, and Ryuki was barely able to keep blocking, let alone provide enough force to throw Ouja off, and one of his hands was shaking. It was clear that he was injured, and Ouja took advantage of it quickly. He struck him in the face, making it impossible for Ryuki to counter Ouja's next strike to his arm. That was exactly where he thought the other Rider was injured, and he watched him with sadistic glee as he tried not to drop his sword.

[Advent]

But he should have paid more attention to Ryuki's actions, as Dragranzer arrived, forcing him back with a storm of fireballs. In the chaos of flame, he reached for his next card.

[Final Vent]

Venosnaker arrived and evolved into its Survive form, Venoviper. It transformed into a motorcycle, and Ouja leapt onto it as it spat corrosive venom at anything in its path. Ryuki hurried to scan his own Final Vent card, but he didn't have time. Venoviper collided into Dragranzer, causing it to explode. Ryuki flew backwards, hit by the venom and the shockwave. He landed several feet away, his Blank Form shattering as the acidic venom ate away his deck. The explosion had been enough to knock him out, and the Mirror World would finish the rest.

"Feh," Ouja commented, bored. "How vexing; you died so easily."

Ouja walked away, ready to face his next opponent, as Shinji's body began to disintegrate. It was a disappointment. Now that he had all this power, he couldn't find satisfaction in battle. Nothing survived long enough to give him the pleasure he needed.

"Ouja."

That strange man, Kanzaki, was standing by his path. Ouja stopped and said, "I hope you have someone strong for me to fight. The lack of challenge vexes me."

"You will have your opponent," Kanzaki promised. "Seek out Kamen Rider Odin."

"The last one?" Ouja asked in surprise.

"Yes," he answered. "Tiger will not survive long, and should he or his opponent live, Odin will finish them off either way. Go. Fight."

"Just what I was hoping you'd say," Ouja replied with a twisted smirk beneath his mask.

Perhaps this battle would provide the thrill he was looking for. Maybe now, he'd found exactly the opponent he needed.

* * *

><p>The battlefield was in a wooded area near an old, abandoned mansion. Ouja had to wait for a little while before Odin arrived, completely devoid of emotion, as always. Ouja rested his sword against his shoulder lazily as he asked, "So you're the one I have to win against."<p>

"Correct," Odin answered, and there was something familiar about his voice that almost gave Ouja pause. He didn't sound the same as the last time they'd met; it was almost as if he knew that voice. "The final Rider will obtain the power to grant one wish."

Ouja laughed. "I already know what I'm going to wish for. This war is the most fun I've ever had. I'm going to ensure it continues eternally."

"Fight," Odin replied.

That was just what Ouja wanted to hear. No more banter, no moral arguments, just fight. He charged forward, slashing with his sword, but Odin teleported out of the way. In the blink of an eye, he reappeared and struck back with a sword of his own, then repeatedly teleported around Ouja and struck. Ouja didn't have much time to react, but he pulled out a card in an attempt to at least slow Odin down.

[Sling Vent]

A whip similar to the late Raia's appeared in his hand, and he lashed out the moment he saw Odin again. The whip snared around his wrist, preventing his attack and giving Ouja the chance to strike back.

"So much for the thirteenth Rider," Ouja declared. "You're not so tough when you can't cheat."

Odin didn't answer. Instead, he created a storm of golden feathers, which exploded the moment they touched Ouja. Caught off-guard, he let go of his whip, and Odin escaped. He struggled to escape the tornado of feathers, hearing Odin battling someone else in the meantime—one of those Alternatives, by the sound of it. He growled under his breath and took out another card. Rather than being grateful for the distraction, he was enraged. This was _his_ fight. He wasn't letting anyone else get in the way.

[Advent]

Odin was still distracted by the Alternative when Venoviper arrived, spitting acid into his face. He was forced to stop his attack, giving Ouja a chance to recover before pulling out his Final Vent card. Once again, Venoviper transformed into a motorcycle, and they charged.

Odin didn't try to avoid them, instead scanning his own Final Vent card. His Monster appeared behind him, giving him the power to fly right at Ouja, who sped up in anticipation. Only one of them could make it out of there alive.

Odin was closing in when Ouja noticed that his helmet had been destroyed, dissolved by the venom that had attacked him before. A dead face looked back at him, eyes glowing gold from the power of the deck he carried.

It was Akiyama Ren.

In that moment, Ouja knew he was going to die, killed by one of the Riders he'd failed to kill before. Shinji had been claimed by the Mirror World itself, Tiger had died by someone else's hand, and Kitaoka—damn him—had died in his sleep from illness. And now, as if possessed by their ghosts, this last survivor of those who'd faced him was going to kill him.

It was so absurd that he laughed, even as the flames consumed him.


	4. Odin

Henshin 4: Knight/Odin

Ren's phone rang suddenly, just as he and Yui were about to open. He pulled it out and recognized the number instantly as Eri's doctor's. Immediately, his blood ran cold, and it took everything he had to calmly answer, "Hello?"

"Akiyama-san?"

"Yes?"

"There's been an incident with Ogawa-san. We need you to come as quickly as you can."

His heart was in his throat, but he kept his cool as he replied, "I understand. I'll be there soon."

Yui was giving him a worried look as he hung up. "Is it Eri-san?"

"I have to go," he said in lieu of answering.

Nodding, Yui started to open the door for him, but an arm reached through the window and wrapped around her. She screamed and tried to fight her way free, but the Monster was too strong.

"Yui!" Ren shouted, reaching for her, but it was too late. She had just been pulled through into the Mirror World.

For a moment, he didn't know what to do. Eri needed him, but at the same time, so did Yui. Quickly, he called Shinji's number, quietly cursing, "Damn you, Kido, answer!" as it went to voice mail. Without a choice, he pulled out his deck and held it to the window.

"Henshin!"

* * *

><p>There was a Psycorogue ahead of Knight and Alternative just in front of it. Shouting, Knight leapt over the Monster and slashed his Visor down at Alternative. Alternative heard the cry and tried to block with his own sword, but Knight was easily able to overpower him.<p>

"Ren!"

He didn't need Yui's cry to tell him that the Monster had her. Spinning quickly with sword in hand, he struck the Psycorogue's arm, forcing it to let go of her.

"Run!" Knight ordered her.

Thankfully, Yui listened and began running down the street, away from the battle. She trusted him to find her as soon as the fight was over and get her home before they ran out of time. Once he was certain Yui was out of range of the battle, Knight turned his attention back to the recovering Alternative.

"So, you're still after her," he noticed.

"Kanzaki Yui is the cause of all this!" Alternative spat. "If not for her, Kanzaki Shiro never would have run the experiment that day, and everyone in the lab—including Ogawa Eri—would still be alive."

A chill went down Knight's spine as he heard this, and he immediately shouted back, "Eri's still alive!"

"She might as well be dead!" Alternative argued. "By protecting Kanzaki, you've just as good as killed Ogawa!"

"Shut up!" Knight yelled, charging. He long ago had accepted that whatever her brother had done, Yui wasn't responsible for what had happened to Eri. She was just another victim, and he couldn't afford to think the way the Alternatives did.

His sword struck Alternative's, but this time they were equally angry and equally matched. Neither would give the other room to advance. Knowing he'd reached a stalemate, Knight began to reach for a card, but a slash to his back caught him off-guard, giving Alternative room to throw him off with a countering strike. As Knight looked up, he saw a second Alternative standing with sword ready. But this wasn't Alternative Zero, like he'd expected; this Alternative had bronze stripes running down his sides.

"Your Monster was down," he said in a young voice—possibly a teenager. "I thought you could use the help."

"Don't worry about me," Alternative said. "Go after Kanzaki!"

"Got it," he answered before running off.

"There's more of you now?" Knight asked, getting to his feet.

"Professor Kagawa thought we could use more help, since you and the other keep getting in our way," Alternative insisted, slashing.

Knight ducked away from the blow and scanned his Sword Vent card. This wasn't good. If there were more than just two Alternatives and Tiger, Yui was in even more danger. Much as he hated doing so, he had to move the battle closer to where Yui had escaped.

And farther from Eri, part of him thought.

Even so, he moved farther in Yui's direction, keeping Alternative occupied enough that he couldn't go after her and trying everything he could to defeat him. He did everything he could to push all other thoughts out of his mind; he had to have a clear mind in order to win. But whether it was fear for Yui or that unseen clock counting down how long it would take him to reach Eri, Knight couldn't get himself to overpower Alternative, and he felt the sting of his blade against his side.

Just then, a familiar battle cry sounded, and Ryuki leapt into the fray. He delivered a fierce slash that sent Alternative into a nearby building.

"Ren, where's Yui-chan?" he asked.

"Alternative grabbed her," Knight explained. "I told her to run."

Ryuki was still for a second in shock before asking, "So she's still here in the Mirror World?"

Knight didn't need that subtle accusation, and he shouted back, "It was the only thing I could do! You didn't answer your phone!"

"Wait, you're the one who called? Why?"

Knight couldn't deal with this right now. There was Yui to worry about, and the Alternatives, and Eri. Silently, he began to remove his Survive card.

"Is it Eri-san?"

And he didn't need Shinji's pity. But before he could tell him off for it, he saw Ouja approaching, his sword pointed toward Ryuki.

"Look out!" Knight shouted as he shoved Ryuki out of the way. But it cost him any time to react. The sword struck his belt with enough force that he doubled over onto the blade, dropping his Survive card. Not even seconds later, his transformation shattered as he watched the remains of his deck fall to the ground in front of him.

It felt like he'd lost all strength, and he slid off the blade, cutting his stomach on his way to the ground. The shock began to fade into devastation, and he didn't care that he was bleeding or that Ouja was standing over him, ready to finish him off. Ren thought that he might as well. Those who don't fight won't survive. Those who _can't _fight…

But a blast of fire from Dragreder forced Ouja back as Ryuki made his way to Ren's side, checking his injuries. "Ren, can you get up?"

Ren didn't—wouldn't—answer, so Ryuki just took his arm and put it around his neck to help him stand, apparently ignoring the way Ren fought back a cry of pain. "Where'd you come in from—never mind. Dragreder!"

The dragon roared and flew through the nearest window. Supporting Ren the way, Ryuki followed it through to the real world. Once they'd made it through, Ryuki set Ren on the ground and knelt next to him, ignoring the way Ren tried not to glare at him. Shinji meant the best, but he was only prolonging things, making it more painful.

But still, there was at least the chance that he could get to Eri in time.

"Are you okay?" Ryuki asked. "You should probably go to the hospital."

Struggling to stand, Ren insisted, "I'll take care of it after…" and then trailed off. He respected Shinji, maybe even could call him a friend, but this wasn't something he could share so easily.

If only because deep down, he knew he was afraid that if he said it, it would be true, and Eri would die.

Hesitantly, Ryuki asked again, "Is it Eri-san?" When Ren didn't answer, he said, "Okay. You head to the hospital to check on Eri-san. I'll save Yui-chan."

Ren shook his head. "You won't stand a chance. There's more of them this time."

Ryuki hesitated only briefly before confidently insisting, "I'll think of something. Now, go!"

Dragreder returned through the glass, and Ryuki followed closely behind. Ren tried to stop him, tried to warn him that he was more of an idiot than he'd ever believed and there was no way Ryuki would last against the Alternatives, Tiger, and Ouja, but he couldn't. He couldn't go after him. And he couldn't even watch after him; for all he strained, the only thing he could see in the glass was his own reflection.

That didn't mean, however, that he couldn't do anything. He could at least get to Eri.

Ignoring the pain in his body, he turned from the glass and ran for the hospital.

* * *

><p>When Ren got there, it was worse than he feared. The doctor and several nurses were gathered around Eri's bed as he burst into the room, wrestling with the staff. Some part of him, very deep down, knew that they were only trying to keep him from disrupting the delicate operations trying to keep her alive, but all he could process right now was that they were trying to keep him away from her. He could hear the machines going haywire—beeps and alarms representing her heartbeat and breathing rate going out of control. He saw the doctor preparing the defibrillator, but it wasn't going to be enough. Ren had to <em>be <em>there; he had to save her. He was the only one who could do it. He just managed to pull himself away and took her hand…

And in that same instant, the heart monitor gave off that sound—the horrible, single, shrill beep of a flatline.

Ren was sure he'd shouted her name, but even though he could feel the cry escaping him, he couldn't hear himself. There was no sound left in the world—that horrible noise had deafened everything. The assistants pulled him away from Eri so the doctor could use the defibrillator, and he didn't fight them this time. Finally, after either a lifetime or a second, the doctor sighed and turned away from Eri, telling Ren something—maybe an apology, maybe a reprimand for not getting there in time. It didn't matter. It was all the same.

And then Ren could hear again—the screeching noise of the Mirror World. He turned around to see a man in a trenchcoat, watching impassively.

"Kanzaki."

* * *

><p>He wasn't sure how he ended up outside the hospital, but he honestly didn't care. Kanzaki was standing before him, watching without sympathy, without any emotion at all, as Ren staggered against the wall. He'd never felt this dead inside before. There had always been some hope that he could save Eri. But now, he couldn't find any. His deck was gone, and he knew he'd let Shinji run to his death to rescue Yui. He couldn't save them, he couldn't save Eri—he couldn't save <em>anybody<em>, and that made the world seem darker than ever.

"You've lost the fight," Kanzaki pointed out.

Ren let out a humorless, pained laugh. "Tell me something I don't know." He pounded his fist helplessly against the wall. "I've lost everything. I can't even fight."

"So you'll die," Kanzaki reasoned.

"What else can I do?" Ren demanded.

For a moment, they stared at each other—Ren in grief and anger and Kanzaki with that damnable calm. At long last, Kanzaki replied, "There may be a way for you to fight."

Ren turned his head away and closed his eyes. "It's impossible."

But Kanzaki pulled out the last deck—gold and emblazoned with a phoenix. Ren didn't have to see it to know what it was. "You were one of the most likely candidates to win the war. You were the only one to have defeated Odin."

"So I broke it, I bought it?" Ren asked derisively, refusing to look at the deck.

"Fight for me," Kanzaki insisted. "Become Odin and win the war."

"And lose myself," Ren challenged, finally looking at him. "Become your puppet?"

"What else do you have to lose?" Kanzaki argued.

Ren froze. He knew an empty promise when he heard one, but at the same time, he was empty already.

As if he'd already given up control of his body to Odin and Kanzaki, his hand reached out to take the deck. With nothing left, Ren turned toward the nearest window and held out the deck, allowing the V-Buckle to form around him. He didn't even have the will to cross his arm in front of him before sliding in the deck.

"Henshin."

And Kanzaki smirked in satisfaction as Ren died and Odin lived again.

* * *

><p>There was no reaction from Odin as he came to meet Ouja Survive—no recognition, no hatred, no grief. All of that would have required Ren's soul to still be present, but that had been reduced to ash by the phoenix's wind and flame. He used Ren's voice and body, but those were just the remnants of a dead memory. Odin was the deck, the Monster, and the Rider—far removed from the human form underneath the armor, and everything Kanzaki needed to win. Whether or not he understood that his existence was forfeit didn't matter; in both body and mind, he belonged only to Kanzaki.<p>

"So you're the one I have to win against," Ouja Survive drawled, resting his sword against his shoulder.

"Correct," Odin answered. "The final Rider will obtain the power to grant one wish."

Ouja laughed. "I already know what I'm going to wish for. This war is the most fun I've ever had. I'm going to ensure it continues eternally."

There was a thought broadcasted from Kanzaki—not an intent, as Odin had expected, but a sense of irony. The Rider War was all but eternal, continuing thanks to the Time Vent card until Kanzaki could get his wish. Ouja never had to win for this to happen, and Odin was to ensure that he wouldn't.

"Fight," he ordered, inviting the first attack.

Ouja ran forward, slashing with his sword, but Odin teleported out of the way and struck back with one of his own swords. The next few attacks were fast; teleporting from all sides, he continued to slash at Ouja. Though he had little time to react, the other Rider refused to go down easily and scanned another card, summoning a whip. The next time Odin's sword came at him, Ouja snared his whip around his wrist, preventing the attack. He then struck with his sword, successfully hitting the armor.

"So much for the thirteenth Rider," Ouja declared. "You're not so tough when you can't cheat."

Without answering, Odin reached out with his powers to send a flurry of exploding feathers toward Ouja. The unexpected attack forced him to let go of his whip, allowing Odin to escape. As Ouja struggled within the cyclone of feathers, Odin began to reach for a card, only to hear a feminine voice declare, [Accele Vent]

Odin turned and held up an arm to defend against Alternative Zero's sword. He seemed surprised by how fast Odin had been, but he still tried to strike Odin again. This time, Odin teleported out of the way. As Alternative Zero hit nothing but gold feathers, Odin pulled out a card from his deck and prepared to scan it.

But the Alternative had proved to be a costly distraction. Odin never heard Ouja Survive's contract card being scanned, so he had no warning when the evolved form of Venosnaker slithered in and spat corrosive venom into his face. The visor of Odin's helmet melted away quickly, exposing his face. Recognizing him, Alternative Zero stopped suddenly, and Odin took advantage of it to scan his next card.

[Steal Vent]

The shock of losing his sword was enough to bring Alternative Zero back to reality, but it was too late. Odin teleported forward, striking with the stolen sword, and the Alternative only made the barest effort to defend himself against the attack. Refusing to waste any more time on him, Odin directed a gust of explosive feathers at him, sending him flying until he hit the ground, unconscious.

With Alternative Zero out of the way, Odin could focus on the real battle. Ouja Survive had scanned his Final Vent card, converting his Monster into bike form to race toward him, spitting venom all the way. Without hesitation, Odin removed a card and scanned it.

[Final Vent]

Goldphoenix arrived and hovered behind him as he rose into the air, surrounded in the golden glow of the ultimate Rider power. Acting as his wings, Goldphoenix allowed him to fly directly into Ouja. For a moment, there was a laugh from his opponent, some kind of insane humor from inevitable doom, before light and flame consumed him entirely.

Odin landed with inhuman grace as Goldphoenix left him, watching impassively as light gathered before him—the only comprehensible form of the great power. It was right in front of him, ready to be taken, but he didn't reach for it, not without a will of his own.

"It's over," Kanzaki said, walking over. Odin didn't even react as his master approached him, smiling grimly at Akiyama Ren's emotionless face and dead, golden eyes and deciding, "I probably should have chosen you for this from the start, but your life force as Knight was more valuable. Now, take the power."

Odin nodded once, a bow to his master's control, before he reached his hand out to the power, preparing to voice his master's wish…

"Enough, Brother!"

Kanzaki Yui's voice stopped the both of them cold as Alternative Zero stood and removed his—no, _her_ helmet. Kanzaki could only stare in shock as she walked toward them, begging, "Brother, please. That's enough."

Kanzaki's control of Odin slipped suddenly, and inside his own mind, Ren woke from the ashes of his identity in a painful rebirth. The gold phoenix fire in his eyes faded before they began to water from the brightness of the power. As he pulled himself away, his fingers brushed against the light. The power faded away, and he dropped to his knees, shaking.

"Ren!" Yui cried, running over to him.

For a moment, all Ren could remember was the horror of Eri's death, and he could barely recognize Yui as she knelt beside him, putting an arm around him and holding his hand. When he finally did realize who she was, he held on desperately to the one person he had left.

"It's going to be okay," she insisted in a comforting voice, ignoring her brother's presence just next to them. "Do you remember what happened? How you ended up like this?"

It was a shock for him to realize that he was wearing Odin's armor, but after a moment, the memories returned in full, sickening detail. His voice raw, he admitted, "I agreed to it. I took the deck after Eri died."

Yui gasped in horror and looked up at her brother, who wouldn't meet her eyes. Still, she asked, "Why?"

Ren tried to get up, but the trauma of everything that had happened kept him from standing on his own power, so Yui helped him get to his feet. He couldn't make himself face Kanzaki, so instead, he asked her, "What are you doing with an Alternative deck?"

"I made a deal with Professor Kagawa," she admitted. "I wanted to do whatever I could to stop my brother."

Ren didn't want to ask, but he had to know. "And Kido?"

Yui lowered her gaze and shook her head, fighting back tears. It was all the confirmation Ren needed. When Yui was finally able to raise her eyes again, she looked to Kanzaki and said, "Professor Kagawa told me why you need the power—to save me. What I don't understand is why."

The pain on Kanzaki's face was so tangible that Ren would have hated him for it if he weren't so broken. What right did Kanzaki have to grieve when he'd taken so much away from Ren?

"Your life force would have run out on your next birthday," Kanzaki explained. "This was the only way I could save you…"

"So you sacrificed all those other people?" Yui demanded. "Shinji-kun and Eri-san? Nearly Ren too?"

"Yui," Ren interrupted. She turned to him as he admitted the truth he hated to know: "It was the same for me—for all of us fighting."

"It was the Rider War," Kanzaki agreed.

Yui stared at them in disbelief, but that truth was the first thing they'd ever explicitly agreed on. There was too much similar between himself and Kanzaki, Ren knew, and there were too many times he'd seen Kanzaki in the mirror instead of his own reflection.

Unable to argue with them any longer, Yui asked, "What happened to the power? You didn't claim it, did you?"

"No," Kanzaki answered honestly. "It vanished as soon as Akiyama pulled away from it."

As soon as Ren had _touched_ it, they all realized at once. It had only been a glancing touch, but it had been enough. It was within him now, the power to grant any wish.

"You have to let Ren use it, Brother," Yui insisted. "He's the one who really won."

"I'm sorry, Yui," Kanzaki replied.

Before Ren could do anything, that horrible force attacked him again—the phoenix's fire and wind. He wasn't sure how long it had been before he came back to life again, but he was lying facedown, his body in pain. He closed his eyes in reflex against it, but there was a burning white light behind his eyelids. It was worse than the last time; it was like Odin was still there, trying to burn him alive.

"Ren!" Yui cried again, gently trying to help him sit up. He barely had the strength to manage it, and she was supporting most of his weight. "Brother, what did you do to him?"

The pain was white and brilliant, and Ren realized suddenly what it was. Weakly, he tried to explain, "The new life…"

"It's the price that has to be paid," Kanzaki explained. There was almost a trace of regret in his voice, and Ren forced himself to look up at him. "It wasn't enough, one life for another. For it to last, it needs more—all thirteen Riders."

"What about the Alternatives?" Yui shouted. "Or the other people who died for this?"

"Yes," Kanzaki admitted. "All to ensure it's the strongest life."

Yui turned to Ren again, and he had to close his eyes. Somehow, the light seemed even brighter if he looked at her—but that made sense, if the power was going into her. He could feel himself fading—the same pins and needles numbness that started to spread through him when he'd been in the Mirror World too long. His body was disintegrating, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

"…can you hear me?" she was asking. "You have to fight it!"

Ren wanted to tell her he couldn't, that even without knowing it, he'd been ready for this when he decided he would save Eri. At least now, they'd be in the same place.

And suddenly, she was there, in front of him. The light was gentle around her—not the horrible power burning him up inside. She smiled at him softly and reached out her hand.

It took all of his strength, but he managed to lift his hand. Still, he couldn't reach her, and Ren felt the sudden sick fear that it would happen all over again, that he still couldn't grab hold of her. But without her smile wavering, Eri came closer until her hand touched his, and he could finally grasp it.

He didn't even realize that he'd managed to take Yui's hand and give her an Advent Card.

**The effects of the power on Ren is a personal theory of mine, based on a graphic from the official TV Asahi site showing that the thirteen Riders appeared to be the key to opening the "final door," whatever that was supposed to mean. I assumed it meant that the life force of all of them was needed to create the power needed to grant such a reality-warping wish. The end of this chapter and the entirety of the next diverge heavily from the original story this is based off of, so I hope it doesn't disappoint.**


	5. Alive

Henshin Final: A life/Alive

It was obvious Ren was getting weaker, and for all Yui tried, she couldn't get him to respond to her shouts. He was lost again, somewhere within the power burning him away and giving all that he was to her. Yet somehow, he managed to get his hand to hers, and she grasped it as tightly as she could, hoping that somehow, she could keep him from dying. But he was disintegrating, and as it got harder to hold onto him, Yui noticed the edges of a card digging into her fingers, and she held onto his gift as desperately as she'd tried to hold onto him.

He seemed to recognize that she had taken it, and a faint look of peace appeared on his face as he whispered into the distance, to someone Yui couldn't perceive.

"Eri…"

And then he was gone, dissolved into particles that were unwillingly absorbed into Yui. For a moment, she could only kneel there in shock, helplessly looking at the card he'd given to her.

"Yui."

Her brother's voice was full of hope, sounding far more like the man who left for college promising to always be there for her. But he'd just killed her friends, and she looked up at him in horror.

"I've finally done it," he tried to explain as she stood. "The new life is yours. There's nothing to worry about anymore." But as he tried to approach her, she took a step back. "Yui?"

"Brother, why?" she asked.

He didn't understand, and the confusion and pain on his face was so innocent and childlike that she couldn't help but wonder if he'd never grown up from back then. If he were still that thirteen-year-old who couldn't understand why their parents hurt them and now couldn't understand why Yui was hurt by what he was doing.

"It was for you," he insisted. "I wanted to save you."

She shook her head, with tears in her eyes. It was even worse that he didn't understand, that he _couldn't._ It would have been so easy to hate him, the way Ren had; pitying him like Shinji had was harder to cope with.

And they were both with her now—not gone, but part of her, part of the power that had given life back to her.

"No, Brother," she replied. "It was for you all along. It was _your _wish. You never asked what mine was."

He still looked lost and helpless. It was something he'd never thought of before, and he asked, "What _is_ your wish?"

That broke her entirely, and she couldn't stop the tears from running down her face. Of course he didn't know; he'd blinded himself completely in his quest to gain this power.

"You're not the brother I used to know," she admitted, taking him aback. "I don't know you anymore, and you don't know me." She held up the card Ren had given her and displayed it to her brother.

He stared in horror and tried to take a step toward her. "Yui! Don't do anything foolish!"

But his words couldn't reach her. Every Rider, every Alternative, and every victim of the Monsters was now part of Yui, and she a part of them. She was Nakamura and Tojo, Asakura and Kitaoka, Shinji and Ren and Eri. And all of them had a wish, and she was the only one who could grant it.

"I'm sorry, Brother," she cried. "I just hope that next time, you'll figure it out."

"Yui!" he shouted.

But he was too late. Yui slashed the card through her Visor, and the voice called out, [Time Vent.]

Kanzaki took her by the shoulders, torn between fury and horror, but Yui wrapped her arms around him, crying. Helpless, all he could do was hug her back as time turned backwards and the world shattered around them.

* * *

><p>"You win, Yui," Kanzaki said to the void as the world was reborn. "I won't try it this way again. I'll try to understand what you wished for."<p>

Time put itself back together, the shattered fragments of lives mended the way they'd been before, the cracks in the glass less jagged.

"I promise. For you."

* * *

><p>It was unusually quiet in Atori, and Shinji, Yui, and Ren blinked in surprise, as if they weren't sure they were supposed to be there.<p>

"Did you…" Shinji started before he noticed something in Ren's hand. "What are you doing with my phone?"

Ren was just as confused as Shinji was, but he hid it as he tossed the phone over and said, "Obviously, you gave it to me. Why else would I have it?"

Shinji was about to respond when he saw tears running down Yui's cheeks. "Eh, Yui-chan? Are you okay?"

Ren turned to her in concern. "Yui?"

Yui hadn't noticed she was crying until they pointed it out to her. Now, she wiped her tears as Shinji hurriedly gave her a handkerchief. "Thanks."

With the same careful worry he only let her see, Ren asked, "What happened?"

"I don't know," she answered honestly, giving Shinji back his handkerchief, now slightly damp with tears. "I'm okay, though."

Neither of them looked particularly convinced, but still, Shinji answered, "If you're sure…"

Smiling, Yui nodded. "I'm fine."

The door opened suddenly, and they all looked over as Kitaoka walked inside. For a moment, the three could only look at him in shock, as if they hadn't expected to see him again, and he gave them a look of confusion.

"What are all of you looking at me like that for?" he asked.

Ren was the first to recover again, and he said, "We're not open yet. Get out."

Deciding that all must be well, Kitaoka taunted, "Oh, is that how you treat a valued customer? I'm amazed you have any business with waiters as rude as this."

Before Ren could escalate the fight, Yui took his arm and softly said, "Why don't you go visit Eri-san? Shinji-kun and I can handle this while you're gone."

Ren gave her a puzzled look at the suggestion, and when he glanced over at Shinji, he saw the same confusion. But somehow, it felt right, so he answered, "All right. I'll be back in an hour."

"Call us if anything happens," Shinji warned. Ren stared at him, partly in confusion and partly in annoyance. Shinji couldn't understand just why he'd said that, so he just mumbled, "Asakura's still out there, after all. And we've got Tiger and those Alternative guys to worry about."

"They won't be a problem," Ren insisted with a sigh. But at the expressions of concern on his friends' faces, he admitted, "But all right. Make sure you pick up your phone."

"Eh?" Shinji asked. "What do you mean I need to pick up?" His indignant cries went ignored, though, because Ren was already walking out the door. "Oi, Ren!"

"Shinji-kun," Yui said gently, smiling in amusement. "Don't worry about Ren right now."

Shinji pointed in Ren's direction. "Yeah, but he…"

"Am I supposed to wait here all morning for my order?" Kitaoka interrupted. "What terrible service."

As Shinji began to lose his temper from yet another Rider, Yui promised, "I'll take this one. You get the sign."

"Okay," he sighed. "Thanks, Yui-chan."

"Are you ready for my order?" Kitaoka drawled.

"Just a moment!" Yui said, walking to his table as Shinji went to turn over the sign at the door. "I'm sorry about that. What would you like?"

"Darjeeling, second flush," he replied. With a taunting look at Shinji, he added, "Try not to steep it too long. Just two minutes is perfect."

Somehow, Kitaoka was far more aggravating than Ren. Here he was telling Shinji how to do his job! "Why you…" Shinji growled.

"All right," Yui answered diplomatically, signaling to Shinji to head to the counter. "Is there anything else?"

"Not right now," Kitaoka replied politely, the picture of professionalism. "Thank you. I'm glad that there's someone here who takes pride in their service."

"Thank you very much," Yui replied as she went to the counter.

Shinji was still irritated at Kitaoka as he brought the kettle to a boil. "I can't believe that guy…"

"We'll have more customers soon," Yui reminded him. "Are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah," he sighed. "But what about you, Yui-chan? Are you sure you're okay?"

She nodded again. "It was probably just the light making my eyes water."

"You're sure?"

She smiled. "I've never felt better."

That reassured Shinji more than anything, and he nodded. "Okay."

The door opened again, but this time, there was a group of customers entering. As they began to find tables, Yui took her notepad. "I'll get these orders. Just keep an eye on Kitaoka-san's until then, okay?"

"Two minutes, remember!"

Shinji scowled, but Yui was unbothered as she went to take the other orders. Still, though, Shinji actually felt kind of glad to see Kitaoka. Getting annoyed by him took away some of the apprehension he didn't know he'd had, much less understood _why_ he had. For some reason, he just felt grateful that the man was alive.

* * *

><p>Ren wasn't sure what had spurred Yui to tell him to visit Eri as they were opening, but it was only one part of what he'd accepted was going to be a very weird day. And if it meant he didn't have to deal with Kitaoka, all the better.<p>

He put on his helmet; then, compelled by the same inexplicable sense he and the others were dealing with all morning, he pulled out his necklace. He fingered the familiar linked ring that belonged to Eri, what had reminded him all this time of what he had to fight for and kept him from giving up. Now, as he touched it, he felt an odd sense of peace.

He let the ring drop back to his chest and rode off. It had been a while since he'd last brought her flowers. Maybe saltspray roses or something that would remind her of the beach—at least until he saved her and they could go there together again.

No one would see the peaceful smile he had, but Eri could hear it in her dreams as he spoke to her. For the first time in a long time, Ren felt like hope wasn't so distant, and he didn't feel cynical about the realization at all.

For the first time, he, Shinji, and Yui had the same thought, one that they'd never thought before: it was good to be alive.

**Obviously, the title here comes from the opening theme, "Alife A life." As I said in the previous chapter, this chapter is a big divergence from the SIC story, which ends without with wish being granted and with Yui and her brother unable to touch, breaking his heart. Obviously time had to be restarted, but given that one of the biggest twists in the story was Yui becoming the new Alternative Zero, I _really _wanted to take advantage of this chance to give her a more proactive role, to give her the chance to fight back against Kanzaki and stop having all the others save her. Let her try to save herself this time, and in a way, save everybody else.**

**If this is a little too disjointed for you, there will be a reversioned cut on my Livejournal (akino-ame[dot]livejournal[dot]com) that edits all of the chapters together into a long oneshot. It winds up with a little more focus on Yui, since my twist was her becoming the hero at the end, and a couple of new scenes are added. There's a little less focus on Asakura's point of view, unfortunately for his fans, since a lot of his chapter had been a more threatening take on Shinji's and Ren's.**


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